hard to narrow it down but i think i'm gonna go with kiefer/schüttler losing the olympics final in 04. rollercoaster match, tons of ups and downs, last-minute heartbreak. just when you thought they got it done the chileans stepped it up, again and again. with sports normally i feel more anger than sadness whenever my team/player loses, that was one of the rare moments where i was actually sad. both looked absolutely devastated.

also federer winning the french open, that one swimming relay where lezak beat the living crap out of the frenchman and germany winning the handball world cup 07 (mainly because i watched two games live). i don't get carried away by football that much, probably because it's on 24/7, kinda tiresome.

Personally, I remember 1982 better because I was living in the Dominican Republic, before domestic cable TV, and watched the match in a large ballroom in the largest hotel in Santo Domingo. I was the only Irishman among hundreds of Spaniards.

Is it true that the NI football team is for all intents and purposes a protestant loyalist team? I heard of a NI catholic player who opted to play for the south and said catholics aren't comfortable playing for the north, and I wonder if this is widespread and whether there are Catholic players in the NI team.

Is it true that the NI football team is for all intents and purposes a protestant loyalist team? I heard of a NI catholic player who opted to play for the south and said catholics aren't comfortable playing for the north, and I wonder if this is widespread and whether there are Catholic players in the NI team.

I really don't know, not having lived there for 46 years. Something I would never think about, but I would not be surprised if that was the case some years ago.I would have hoped it no longer matters.

As for opting to play for the south, I think that any NI player who could get on the Irish team would jump at the chance. There would be a much better opportunity to get into a major competition. I think somebody got death threats a short while ago for opting for the south, but have no idea what religion he practiced.

There is not much on the internet, but I read one quote that said Catholics have always played for NI, the problem was the supporters who were almost exclusively Protestant. But there seems to have been major progress there, with NI fans now being recognized as among the best in Europe.
You may not be aware that in NI Catholics are much more interested in Gaelic games than in football. And I am sure it has changed now, but when I lived in NI, anyone who played Gaelic games was forbidden to attend non-Gaelic sports events, such as football matches. So it is not surprising that until recently, NI football fans were almost exclusively Protestant. And hardly surprising that NI Catholics that were not influenced by the Gaelic Associations chose to support the Irish Republic team.

Ideally, of course, there would be one Irish team, as in rugby, where religion has never been a factor. But a possible merger of the Irish and Northern Irish Fooball Associations into one body, is way, way over the horizon.

I really don't know, not having lived there for 46 years. Something I would never think about, but I would not be surprised if that was the case some years ago.I would have hoped it no longer matters.

As for opting to play for the south, I think that any NI player who could get on the Irish team would jump at the chance. There would be a much better opportunity to get into a major competition. I think somebody got death threats a short while ago for opting for the south, but have no idea what religion he practiced.

There is not much on the internet, but I read one quote that said Catholics have always played for NI, the problem was the supporters who were almost exclusively Protestant. But there seems to have been major progress there, with NI fans now being recognized as among the best in Europe.
You may not be aware that in NI Catholics are much more interested in Gaelic games than in football. And I am sure it has changed now, but when I lived in NI, anyone who played Gaelic games was forbidden to attend non-Gaelic sports events, such as football matches. So it is not surprising that until recently, NI football fans were almost exclusively Protestant. And hardly surprising that NI Catholics that were not influenced by the Gaelic Associations chose to support the Irish Republic team.

Ideally, of course, there would be one Irish team, as in rugby, where religion has never been a factor. But a possible merger of the Irish and Northern Irish Fooball Associations into one body, is way, way over the horizon.